On June 29th at 10:30 in the morning a group of local leaders and media joined together to see the second family that Home Strong USA has helped in the last year. This year Home Strong USA came back to Rialto to help the Ortiz family with safety and energy upgrades as well as water saving landscape and a special play area for the two young Ortiz children.
The last year Home Strong USA helped Maribel Chacon with upgrades and drought tolerant landscape. ABC Eyewitness News covered the story you can see it here:
This work isn’t done by just one organization. Teaming up with Home Strong USA on this project were Home Depot, State Farm Insurance and Rialto Councilman Ed Palmer and City Treasurer Ed Carrillo.
HomeStrong USA was formed in 1999 and is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Our original purpose and mission centered on providing relief to poor and distressed persons through the sponsorship, acquisition, development, and operation of low-income housing. Organizational goals focus on achieving the mission primarily through the delivery of an extensive pre and post-purchase education/counseling program, the acquisition or development of affordable housing projects, and the sharing of best practices and resources with high quality, high performing nonprofit counseling organizations.
So as promised by former Councilman Shawn O’Connell and current Councilman Ed Palmer along with Rialto Police & Fire the enforcement of illegal fireworks has continued to improve in an effort to make 4th of July Safe & Fun for everyone.
Above is a photo from the Rialto Fire Facebook page with these words:
“Attention Rialto residents! Yard signs available. Come and get a sign for your yard to help support our “Illegal Firework- Free Zone”. Signs are available at Rialto Fire Station 201 (131 S Willow Ave) As a reminder: Fireworks that are not purchased from a licensed firework stand are illegal. Property owners will be issued a citation in the amount of $1000 if illegal fireworks are discharged on your property.”
Well last night we found out via Rialto Fire Chief Matt Fratus that this year along with improved dispatching of fire units using Rialto Police Dispatch the Fire Department is now adding a drone to identify where illegal fireworks are being used.
The Consent Calendar and one item on the consent calendar had everyone’s feathers all ruffled up. The item was setting everyone off was:
Request city council to set a public hearing for June 28th 2016, to consider naming the Rialto Senior Center “The Grace Vargas Senior Center”
The reports are that Mayor Robertson is the one pushing this building name so that she can get Grace Vargas endorsement for re-election. We do know that this request came from the Mayor Deborah Robertson according to the staff report as well. What we find odd is that everyone outside of city hall (taxpayers) have to gather 100 signatures and submit their name change request before the Parks & Recreation Commission before the request can be submitted to city council for public comment or approval. City Hall gets to jump to the head of the line and not use the same filters.
Should the naming of our Public Buildings be tied to political game playing and political favors?
Join us in voicing your concern https://www.facebook.com/events/1202578339761202/
As many of you may know the City of Rialto lost one of the biggest advocates for the community on Sunday. Normally we would be all over stories like this but because of our relationship with Councilman O’Connell we were in mourning and took a slight step back to digest what had happened. The last time I saw Councilman O’Connell he had just left Taste of Rialto and was on his way to talk to some old friends. He told me see you Saturday but sadly that would be the last time I would see our beloved brother, friend and councilman.
Councilman O’Connell invited me and my wife to sit at his table for the Friends of the Rialto Library Dinner Mystery fundraiser One Bullet One Silver Spoon. Councilman O’Connell never made that event and those of us at his table grew concerned as the evening went on. As his friends we all made attempts to locate our friend and still we were unable to locate him it was late in the night so we decided to contact the police in the AM and continue our search. As you can see from the message from the city the next day we heard what nobody wanted to believe:
Council Member Shawn O’Connell was found deceased in his vehicle Sunday morning at 11:34 am. He was found in the parking lot of a restaurant in the City of Loma Linda. He was found by Rialto Police Officers who were on their way to Loma Linda University Hospital to check on his whereabouts. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and Coroner responded to the location and are conducting a death investigation.
John M. Blodgett with the San Bernardino Sun wrote the best article outside of the Radio Show Let’s Talk Community audio tribute to the late councilman. Mr. Blodgett said he didn’t know Councilman O’Connell but his colleagues did and would write a follow up story. Well John you did better than the follow up article and we would like to thank you.
Councilman O’Connell was a beacon of light and had the communities respect from the moment he hit the ground in Rialto. Shawn O’Connell wanted to work in Law Enforcement but had a hard time getting his foot in the door. He didn’t allow this to stop him he put himself through the Police Academy while working part-time as a Loss Prevention officer for a local National Retail chain. He used to remark on the skills he learned getting people to cough up stolen goods and admit to what they had done would prove beneficial to him as he worked as an officer for Rialto Police Department. Shawn O’Connell gave of his time, money and reputation to further many, many causes in the local region. Each time he made a donation or helped a cause he only had one stipulation that his name be left out of it, he NEVER wanted to have his name attached to his ability to help he just wanted to be able to help.
Councilman O’Connell is the only elected official to lay out a platform of what he would do as a city councilman and complete everything within his 1st term. Councilman O’Connell was comfortable walking away from the job of being an elected official after one term because he believed that the framers of this country never envisioned that elected persons should make a career out of elected service. He only recently promised that he would serve one more term to make sure that:
The money that is being collected via Measure U (higher fees on South Rialto tank farms) would be spent wisely.
That council kept its promise to reduce the Utility Users Tax once the money was available as promised to voters.
That someone else would step up and run for his seat when his 2nd term was up in 2020.
Shawn O’Connell also looked at himself as being lucky. He felt lucky because he had a few great friends and PD brothers that helped him through his injury and change in lifestyle. He was able to do everything he did after his accident because others took the time to be there when he needed it most. So since Shawn O’Connell considered himself lucky to have such strong support from family and friends he used his experience to help other people struggling with life’s medical mishaps. What is funny is he just didn’t help the person going through the tough spot he also helped their family members. He would call family members that had a loved one going through a rough patch in life and check in on them, Shawn was always the first person to visit a friend or community member in the hospital or when they got home and he always came bearing In & Out! Yes story after story other than Shawn’s dedication to visiting and helping he also knew a good burger or shake could help take your mind off of the pain your under now.
We ran a poll to see who the people of Rialto thought was the most influential person in Rialto for 2015 Shawn came in a close 2nd to a equally great man and police chief Tony Farrar. We had almost 30 people that the community was considering as the most influential person in Rialto in 2015 and Shawn still rose to the top. Shawn was flattered but never wanted such a recognition he would have preferred to have remained behind the scenes.
We want to know your stories. How did Shawn’s life effect you? What did Shawn show you that made an impact in your life? Tell us in the comments below.
This weekend is going to be like every other weekend this summer in the Inland Empire full of fun.
The fun were showing off in this post is the 23rd Annual Run Whatcha Brung Car Show & Cruise Night. This car show is the annual kick off to the summer car shows here in Southern California as well as one of the only shows that opens up registration to anyone who wants to show off their ride. Normally cars are limited to sports cars or classic cars but the Rialto Rotary club wanted something that was cool, unique and allowed everyone to enjoy the weekend the way they wanted to.
Years past the Friday night before the car show were held at the Rialto Airport where the cars would park cruise and take part in contests like burn out and open header. The Friday night event got everyone ready for an awesome day in Downtown Rialto for the Show & Shine on Saturday.
Well insurance costs and the cities decision to close the Airport killed off the Friday Night event. In an effort to bring back the fun of Friday Night activities and to showcase Route 66 that cuts right through the heart of town city Administrator Mike Story and the Rotary Club came up with the idea of a Cruise Night on Route 66. A lot of work and resources go into shutting down Foothill Blvd but the task has proved to be well worth the effort with attendance growing each and every year.
Victor who comes from Pomona every year says that “this is what movies show Route 66 used to look like when our parents used to cruise the local streets on weekend nights”
What else is awesome is local businesses like Coffee Nutz/Cone Creamery, Brothers Pizza, KFC and Baskin Robins capitalize on the boom in people walking up and down the street in Rialto on a warm summer night and bring out speakers and fun for all ages. One of the businesses that has looked to create a safe yet fun place for local teens Coffee Nutz brought out an import night last year working with Inland Empire Youth 4 today. This year the owner of the coffe/ice cream shop is teaming up with local hip hop icon and graffiti artist Wet Paint Larry who is popular for his Sloppy Parlor apparel and positive modeling of how to be Rialto Proud for youth in the region.
Another great addition to this years cruise is Lighting McQueen will be making an appearance at Ned’s Hardware at 312 West Foothill
CA-31 San Bernardino- June 7th – Tonight, Paul Chabot won the open primary and bested three other candidates despite being outspent by over a combined million dollars. Chabot prevailed as the Republican nominee going on to battle Rep. Pete Aguilar in November.
Incumbent Aguilar had one of the worst showings of any Democrat in California, at just 43% of the votes cast.
Chabot’s Chief Strategist John Thomas stated, “We look forward to a rematch. Aguilar’s abysmal record has done nothing to bring jobs back to our community and he is fundamentally not equipped to keep us safe from terror and crime. November will be a knockout.”
Paul Chabot said, “Our campaign has been consistent from the outset – that the number one job of government is to keep families safe. Safe from gangs. Safe from terror. Provide economic opportunities to succeed. And the voters agreed. We are pleased with the outcome of tonight’s primary and look forward to winning in November.”
Thank you to every citizen who cast a vote for us and thank you to the thousands of campaign supporters who gave of their time, resources, efforts and trust in us. I will be forever in your debt.
Thank you again. God bless San Bernardino County. God bless America.
We posted a video on our Facebook page about this weekends events. For more info and a deeper look at what is going on here is what we showed off.
It’s HOT this weekend don’t forget about the cooling centers:
Love to garden and your looking for tips, soil and summer landscape workshops go to the Rialto Community Garden:
Summer Reading Program Kick-off Party is this Saturday at 10:00 am. Friends of the Rialto Library will have a face painter give us Superhero mask, sidewalk chalk and popcorn. Come and join us to sign up for a great SRP season. They want you! BRING WATER it is going to be hot!
Latin Concert & Sounds of Rialto Featuring VILMA DIAZ y la SONORA Saturday, June 4th 4:00 – 9:00 pm Free Concert!!!! Rialto City Park
130 E. San Bernardino Ave. For more information call Rialto Community Services at 909-421-4949
Friends of the Library presents: “One Sliver Spoon, One Silver Bullet” June 4, 2016 Rialto Senior Center 1411 S. Riverside Ave. Rialto, CA Doors open at 6:00 pm Tickets:$18 in Advance and $20 at the Door Tickets may be purchased at the Rialto Branch Library at 251 E. First Street, Rialto CA
Don’t forget to vote on Tuesday June 7th for the best person to represent Rialto in Washington D.C. Paul Chabot
With a week to go before the June 7 primary, two Republicans in the 31st Congressional District race are going after each other.
In a mailer sent out last week, candidate Sean Flynn called opponent Paul Chabot “No Show Chabot” for “refusing to vote” while serving on the California Parole board.
“Paul Chabot took over $100,000 of your taxpayer money and was supposed to make tough decisions to keep us safe,” the flier reads in part, “but he didn’t show up to vote.”
Chabot served on the board from 2006 through 2015. He posted on his Facebook page on Monday that he missed votes during his deployment to Iraq, and hit back against Flynn, an economics professor, during a campaign event in downtown San Bernardino on Tuesday.
A naval reservist, Chabot returned from Iraq in 2008, but the flier specifically cites votes he abstained from in August 2009. According to parole board records, Chabot abstained on six of the eight votes held by the board on Aug. 18, 2009. (He did vote on the other two.)
“Abstaining is a vote,” Chabot said after a campaign event in downtown San Bernardino on Tuesday. “I had no knowledge of those particular cases.”
Chabot had just returned to the country the year before and wasn’t up to speed on those six cases, he said after his campaign event.
“The right and ethical thing for me to do was for me to abstain,” Chabot said.
But he defends his record overall: “I have one of the toughest recods on the California state parole board.”
Chabot lost to Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-San Bernardino, in his first run for the seat in 2014.
“We’re up against a campaign that’s equally as dishonest as we faced in 2014,” Paul Chabot told a group of supporters during Tuesday’s rally.
Officially, this is Chabot’s second attempt for the seat, although, by Chabot’s own admission, he’s never really stopped running against Aguilar after losing to him two years ago.
In addition to Aguilar, Chabot and Flynn, former Rep. Joe Baca is running as a Republican, along with retired school teacher Kaiser Ahmed, who’s running as a Democrat.
We attended the Memorial Day event today at the rialto Cemetery. As we have more video to show off we would like to start off with a post and a message from Congresswoman Norma Torres.
First off we analyzed all of the candidates for this Congressional Seat and from the get go we found incumbent Pete Aguilar not the person that this region needs working for the people in Washington DC. Paul Chabot was the person that opposed Pete Aguilar in the last election 2 years ago. Paul Chabot ran a Grassroots campaign that was heavily out spent by the outsiders of the democrat party that flooded the region with money and a visit from Former President Clinton and Current VP Joe Biden. Even with all that Paul Chabot held on to make it a tough win for Pete Aguilar.
Paul Chabot came to our city of Rialto and held a Coffee event at Coffee Nuttz in Rialto. Democrats came out and asked Paul Chabot some tough questions and he answered them all unlike Pete Aguilar who has made a habit of running from the constituents when the questions get hard.
Paul Chabot has worked tirelessly for the well being of families and children. His organization has come to cities all over the Inland Empire to bring resources and collaborative partnerships to make local cities better for everyone. Why don’t you know about this? Well you see Paul Chabot and his team don’t come in with a massive team of fake people for a single event jump in front of the cameras for that perfect shot. No Paul Chabot works behind the scenes and works alongside people to create a better community for everyone. His team spreads out all over the Inland Empire to make an impact on the lives of people that matter. We need real people in congress that are interested in fixing the problems that the tax payers care about.
When we first heard about Paul Chabot’s plan for a Joint Military Base in San Bernardino we were skeptical. After listening more about his plans and watching crime skyrocket in San Bernardino this year the plan became one of the best ideas that has been brought to the region. Think about it the world is getting more dangerous and the public has become less comfortable with massive troop boots on ground solutions and more special forces and using air technology resources has become the new way to combat the evil that threatens us. Also our staff grew up in this region and the area that used to consist of Norton Air Force Base and Base Housing was a nice safe place to live and shop. Fast forward today it is full of crime, drugs and looks like a dump. The International Airport has been stalled by years due to massive corruption from Airport Board Staff.
Wikipedia entry on the SB Int Airport has this to say about the demise of the Airport:
An audit completed June 2011 at the request of a grand jury investigation found examples of potential mismanagement and financial irregularities.In September 2011, as part of a special joint corruption task force, the FBI raided the offices of the airport and the home of airport developer Scot Spencer to secure internal documents. In late September 2011, Don Rogers, the Director of the SBIA Authority (SBIAA) resigned.The grand jury report questioned a relationship between Rogers and Spencer, including a settlement of a legal claim by companies owned by Spencer against the SBIAA for almost $1 million without ascertaining whether Spencer’s companies suffered damages equivalent to such an amount.
The good ole San Bernardino Sun also reported on this corrupt land of stolen federal money:
More than 80 FBI agents filled a 26-foot U-Haul truck with records – including computers and mobile phones – as part of an investigation into mail and wire fraud, bribery, conspiracy and money laundering, and theft and fraud related to federal funds.
June 7th is the primary and you have these choices: Pete Aguilar, Sean Flynn, Joe Baca, Kaiser Ahmed & Paul Chabot
The top 2 candidates to obtain the most votes will compete in the general election in November we say your vote should be for Paul Chabot.
rialtonow 